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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. club — for golf
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to click
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com